Fort Lee, Ellis Island, Philadelphia - check!

It is on my bucket list to visit as many places associated with our family history as I can. One of those places was Fort Lee, New Jersey. Other nearby locations on my list: Ellis Island, Staten Island (or anywhere in NY City- never been), Philadelphia (history tour), Asbury Park, Middletown (founders). Some of these items were checked off this week! 

My grandmother, Jacqueline Abbott Zaun, was born in Richmond, Virginia, but her father, George Wright Abbott, was born in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Jacqueline’s mother, Ida Rene Bryant, married George Abbott in 1904, and they resided in Richmond. Ida’s brother William Bryant was already married to George’s half-sister Bonnie Abbott; they moved back to Fort Lee in 1900 after living for several years in Princess Anne County, Virginia, with William's parents, Eley and Margaret Bryant. 

The Abbotts of Fort Lee were a well known, respected family. The original immigrant from England, John Abbott, was my third great grandfather. John came to America with four brothers: William, James, Nathaniel, and Abiel, and they built a successful piano manufacturing business in Fort Lee. James’ son John was the first mayor of Fort Lee. Sadly, William Bryant did not represent the Virginia family very well. The Abbotts did not look upon their Virginia relatives favorably. Three generations later, Matt and I have effectively reunited the New Jersey and Virginia families. Full circle!

[See blog post about the Abbott Piano Factory: https://descenddance.blogspot.com/2014/05/abbott-sons-piano-factory-fort-lee-nj.html]

A memorable visit with cousin Matt in New Jersey answered some nagging questions and helped to provide context. We started sharing ancestry information right away! Matt discovered a mug shot (?!!) of his grandfather Lawrence Weismantel among my materials from Ray Eggers (Ray's letters and documents sent to Miriam Lukhard were entrusted to me by Aunt Teeny). Matt called his father to ask about the photo. We had a hilarious video chat with Matt's dad:

Videochat Interview

Sample conversation:

Ted Nussbickle ("He was a good man, Uncle Ted" "He bought me chocolate cigars"), 

"Aunt Leonie," Leonie Abbott Nussbickle ("She was a pain in the ass") and her daughter,

Doris Nussbickle (per Matt's mom: "she married a guy at the horse track"; "she and Aunt Mary were close"), William Bryant ("gentleman who had wounds on his legs"), 

"Uncle Bobby" (Bobby Bryant, "they would come there for dinner...and sleigh riding") and "Uncle Buddy." (Roger Bryant) 

Matt: You remember when "Nanny" (Margaret Bryant Weismantel) would talk about her grandfather as a peanut farmer, right? 

Dad: No. 

Matt: that was Eley Bryant...he fought in the Civil War.

Random comment: "My family is so screwed up, if you put them all in a box and shook it all up...I don't know what would happen." 

When Matt clarified the facts about some of his father's memories, he replied, "I'm started to get worried you're gonna tell me how many times I go to the bathroom."

We also had a videochat with Aunt Teeny (Miriam Vaughan, daughter of Miriam Abbott Lukhard), and her son David. Aunt Teeny remembered visiting her cousins in New Jersey as a teenager and being the "bell of the ball." She said that the more they fawned over her southern accent, the more southern she became! She couldn't remember names, but said some of the boy cousins later came to Virginia to visit.

How I am related to Matt:

Two Abbott siblings married two Bryant siblings. 

I am the great-granddaughter of George and Ida; Matt is the great-grandson of William and Bonnie. 

Whitfield Barrie Abbott is our common NJ ancestor

(the son and only child of immigrant John Abbott, pianomaker, and his wife Sarah Godfrey).

[See my blog post about Whitfield Barrie Abbott: https://descenddance.blogspot.com/2018/03/whitfield-barrie-abbott-1844-1889.html]

Ellis Island

Matt surprised me with a behind the scenes tour of Ellis Island. The majesty of the place and the weight of history was just overwhelming. We spent a good bit of time outside, enjoying the view of the Statue of Liberty and the panoramic view of lower Manhattan. 

Edgewater Cemetery (Vreeland Cemetery)

We found the cemetery in the middle of a congested area of town. The walled cemetery had once been surrounded by an Alcoa Plant. We parked in a busy shopping center lot across the street and risked our lives to get across the road. A sign on the gate told us to call the police non emergency number, and we were instructed to wait for someone to bring us the key. We stood at the gate in the cold for a half hour admiring the Manhattan skyline across the Hudson River. Finally, a Supervisor from the Department of Public Works named Tom Quinton showed up in a white city vehicle and let us in the cemetery. He knew exactly where the Abbott family plot was located and took us right there. We found Whitfield Abbott's tall monument, then saw James Abbott and William Abbott's headstones. After a frustrating search for certain other graves we knew had to be there (Sarah, John C.), Tom decided to go back to his office and bring us the file containing the list of interments and plot numbers. We were able to identify the graves' we were looking for, but there were no headstones (see listing of family members buried here at the bottom of this post). Whitfield was buried with his first wife, Gertrude, while his 2nd wife Sarah was buried at the back of the cemetery all alone. There was an entire Abbott plot with no headstones, but several Abbotts were buried there according to the records. We noted graves for family names Heft, Schlosser, and Beucler scattered amidst the Abbott graves.

Edgewater Cemetery inhabitants' view of the Hudson River and Manhattan

Church of the Good Shepherd

We drove through the Palisades Park area, and up Palisades Avenue to the church. The church secretary let us into the very old sanctuary, but we soon realized that this "newer" part of the old church was built after our family attended there. The original tiny chapel was now a day care center, and little preschoolers were asleep all over the floor. The entrance of the original chapel had been on Parker Avenue, but the steeple had been removed and a new entrance made on Palisades Avenue. The new entrance faces the buildings across the street where Whitfield Barrie Abbott lived (I believe he owned the two adjacent lots at 1585 & 1589 Palisades Avenue), and where his children, including my great grandfather George was born. At least one of Whitfield's children was baptized there, Bonnie Abbott (her baptismal certificate is on Ancestry). The stained glass windows in the church were donated by church members including the Beuclers and the Hefts (names from the cemetery). I later learned that one of the Abbotts married a Beucler (I knew I had seen the name somewhere!)

The smaller chapel to the left is the original church.

Ridgewood Public Library

Driving up Lemoine Avenue on our way out of town, we passed the site of the piano factory near the foot of the George Washington Bridge. There is a bank on the corner where the original factory had been, and the old Port Authority building is where the larger brick piano factory had been. It was about a 20-minute drive to Ridgewood where the public library was supposed to have an excellent genealogy collection. The librarian at the front desk, however, seemed clueless when we asked her about it. She directed us upstairs where we saw a sign in letters a foot high: "Bolger Heritage Center." (How could she miss that?) The door was locked. A young man let us in, and we began searching for the Fort Lee section. The collection was interesting, but we found it difficult to search much of their materials. 

We found one amazing book that made the trip to the library worthwhile: Fort Lee, by Lucille Bertram for the Fort Lee Historical Society, in the "Images of America" series. There were quite a few references to the Abbott family in the book, so I went on Amazon and ordered it for Matt. Images and information in the book revealed the answers to some of our questions. We believe that our Sylvia Abbott provided much of the material about the Abbotts to the Fort Lee Historical Society. 

Information in the book included:

Schlosser's Hotel (image) - "Fort Lee's mayor [i.e. John C. Abbott] and council met there until the 1920's."  There is a Schlosser Street in Fort Lee and Schlosser graves in Edgewater cemetery near the Abbott graves.

Abbott Piano Factory (image) - "The Abbott Piano Factory was located on the west side of Lemoine Avenue near what is now the Bridge Plaza. James Abbott, an English immigrant, founded this piano-action company c. 1870. In 1912 he employed 50 men and 25 women and was a major employer in Fort Lee. The Abbott family, one of the early Fort Lee settlers, resided on Lemoine Avenue for nearly a century."

The newer piano factory was a brick building behind this house.
[This building was moved to Main Street and is still there].

Mayor John C. Abbott (image) - the mayor and his council. "On March 29, 1904, Fort Lee officially broke from Ridgefield Township and formed its own government. In May of that year, the citizens of the borough elected their first borough council Mayor John C. Abbott..." (et. al.). [John C. Abbott, Sr. was the son of James Abbott, one of the four brothers who immigrated from England.]

Church of the Good Shepherd (image) - "In 1885, an Episcopal congregation moved into an abandoned church known as 'the estate' on Parker Avenue...The Gothic Revival building has been extensively renovated, with its entrance now on Palisade Avenue. A tower has also been added." [Note: the 'estate' was owned by the Moore family and includes the property that is now the Fort Lee Memorial Park. The original house, built by Judge Moore in 1922, is now the Fort Lee Museum run by the Fort Lee Historical Society. This building was closed for renovations when we were there.]

Bergen County Historic Sites Survey 1980-1981 (image of the Allen House) - "One of the other significant homes was the pre-Civil War Abbott home on Lemoine Avenue. Both the Abbott and Allen houses were razed soon after the Sites Survey was published."

The George Washington Bridge at its Fort Lee terminus (image) - the Abbott Piano Factory can been seen clearly in this aerial view. 

 

                   The Abbott Piano Factory is in the top right quadrant of this photo - original photo and close up. 
          The building that I have marked "Abbott House" was actually the original piano factory building
         that is now located behind 214 Main Street. (see photos at the bottom of this post).

Abbott Boulevard (image) - "In August 1909, after Palisade was incorporated into the borough, the borough council changed the name to Abbott Boulevard to honor Fort Lee's first mayor, John C. Abbott."

Outside the Heritage room at the library, there was a huge wall map of Bergen Counties that explained why the location of the Abbott Hotel was described in the U.S. Census as being in Hackensack. Hackensack at the time included a much larger area that encompassed Fort Lee and Coytesville. "J. Abbott" is shown on the map just north of the fort area. 

Hackensack County in 1861.
"J. Abbott" is on the map above the words "Fort Lee."

Some library searches were fruitless - no obituaries in the newspaper microfilm reels, except for a brief mention of Whitfield Abbott's funeral in the Bergen County Democrat: 

"The funeral of Wm. B. Abbott was held on Thursday. He had been ailing for some time. Mr. Abbott was for quite a long period principal of the Coytesville school."

There were promising materials held in various file cabinets, such as files on prominent family names in Fort Lee, but they were locked and the librarian could not find the keys. 

"Come back next week," she says.

Barrymore Film Center

Back to Fort Lee for a tour of the Barrymore Film Center museum. This was not directly related to our family history research, but was fascinating to learn about the film industry that was burgeoning in Fort Lee at the time that our family was there. I watched a silent movie that was filmed in Fort Lee which was known as the "Hollywood of the East Coast." 

Philadelphia

We spent a whole day in Philadelphia, hitting the top few items on my bucket list. I did a tour of Independence Hall, and viewed the Liberty bell from outside the glass enclosure. We walked down to Christ Church and had a guided tour. Then walked a few blocks away to the Christ Church Cemetery, where Benjamin Franklin and other signers of the Declaration of Independence were laid to rest. Of course, we stopped and had a Philly cheesesteak at Sonny's. The afternoon was spent at the Barnes Museum of Art. The collection of one man - Albert C. Barnes - was moved in its entirety to this modern building and set up in rooms exactly as he had them set up in his home. In addition to its main galleries, there were 18 rooms full of some of the most important works of art in the world. The uniqueness of this collection is singular in its juxtaposition of his vast assortment of antique hinges which were strategically arranged on the walls with the artwork.  

Preparation for research:

Here are the questions I had prepared for collaboration with cousin Matt, and some of the answers I learned during and after the trip to Fort Lee:

Q: What was Whitfield Abbott's home address on Palisades Avenue?

A: 1589 Palisades Avenue - His home was directly across the street from the Church of the Good Shepherd; there is now a bank on that lot, built in 1905 (a year after Sarah's death. Whitfield also owned the lot at 1585, now a dental office building.

A land map of the historic area of Fort Lee. Whitfield Barrie Abbott's property on Palisades Avenue
is marked,as is James Abbott's property just down the street.

Q: How does Stephen Hopkins (Mayflower) fit into our family tree?
A: through the Godfrey family. There is probably a second connection to Stephen Hopkins as well.

Q: What did the C stand for in John Abbott's name? Conway, after his mother in England?
A: Did not resolve this one. In some sources, his middle initial was "L." In his will, it appears to be the letter "C." James Abbott's son was named John Coyte Abbott. Coyte was James' wife's family name. 

Q: It was "James Abbott and Sons" by 1891; when did John Abbott bow out?
A: One source mentioned that he got out of the business at age 26. John Abbott owned the "hotel" where many of the piano factory employees lived. The Abbott House was located on Lemoine Avenue.

Q: Where did the name "Lemoine" come from? (Lemoine Avenue). Who/what was Abbott Blvd. named for?
A: James Abbott married Eliza Lemoine; William Abbott married Susan Ann Lemoine. Lemoine was a prominent family in Fort Lee. Abbott Blvd was named for the first mayor of Fort Lee, John Coyte Abbott, son of James Lemoine Abbott, Sr.

Q: Where did the name Fenton originate? (Southampton County)
A:

Q: What is the story about a probate dispute over William Cobb's probate 14 years after his death?
A:

Q: Where is the home of Charles and Maria Bryant?
A; I found several specific addresses for them and for their businesses in Asbury Park, Ocean Grove, and Newark. We did not have time to look for them, but most buildings are long gone anyway.

Q: Charles' death certificate?
A:

Q: Where was Charles between 1880 and 1908?
A:

Q: Is the Charles Bryant in the Richmond newspaper article the same piano dealer listed in the NJ city directory? (11/30/1911). 
A: According to the city directory, Charles lived in NJ as early as 1909. Ida was living in Richmond, so Charles did have a connection there. Perhaps he was living near Ida before he moved to NJ..?

Q: Where are Eley and Margaret buried? They are buried together. In Charles Bryant's letter to Bluke, 1924, he wrote: "I must see if I can't get someone to look after Father and Mother's graves," indicating that they were not buried in a formal cemetery.
A: Their graves are not marked, but we assume they are buried on the land at the corner of Blackwater and Head of River Roads in Princess Anne County, now a soybean field. It may not be possible to locate their exact burial sites.

Q: Explain the errors in William Bryant's death certificate (William Thomas Bryant, son of Eley and Margaret Bryant in Southampton, Virginia, NOT "Peter" and "Margaret Garttom" as on his death certificate).
A: William died in a poorhouse in Newark, NJ. He was an alcoholic booted out of the house by his wife Bonnie. He was despised by the Abbott family and buried in their cemetery plot for spite (so they hound him for eternity). The information on the death certificate may have been recorded by a staff person at the poorhouse based on ineffective communication from William.

Q: Are these our family?
Eli Bryant, Nottoway Co, slave owner
A: probably not.

William J. Cobb, E. Nottoway River, 1860 slave schedule
A: 

Q: What is story about the lost deed? lost patent?
A: According to the "NJ" family lore, someone in the "Virginia" family (i.e. the Bryants) stole the deed to the original Southampton land grant out of William T. Bryant's luggage. The patent refers to a peanut patent, unknown story.

Postscript:

In the Bergen County Historic Sites Inventory, 1980-1981, it shows that the original Abbott & Sons Piano Factory building was moved just after the sites survey was done. The building is now located behind 214 Main Street in Fort Lee. 

214 Main Street

The original piano factory building today, behind 214 Main Street.

DPW record of Abbott family burials at Edgewater.
Photo of Tom Quinton's burials list obtained from Matt Weismantel.

DPW record of Bryant family burials at Edgewater.
Photo of Tom Quinton's burials list, obtained from Matt Weismantel.

Thrilling Discoveries

My most thrilling moments in genealogy research

It is not very hard to develop an impressive family tree on Ancestry. It is enormously satisfying to be able to add several generations of ancestors in an afternoon sitting. However, it cannot compare to the excitement of breaking through a brick wall, solving a family mystery, discovering a fascinating story, or connecting with a person or event of historical significance. 

I have had quite a few memorable break-throughs in my research. Reflecting back on the last ten years of working on my family tree, here are some of the highlights:

1. Discovering our Mayflower connections on both sides! My paternal Mayflower ancestor is Stephen Hopkins (there may be a maternal connection to him as well). Also, on the maternal side is John Howland and Elizabeth his wife and her family, the Tilleys. John Howland is remembered for falling off the ship in the middle of the ocean. There is a famous painting about it. 

2. Learning that there are many religious leaders in our direct line, including some famous ones like Roger Williams, founder of Providence, R.I., and Joseph Bosworth, a leader of the Mormon church under Joseph Smith himself. My 3rd great grandfather, Orrin Bishop Judd, was a respected theologian and Bible translator (until he caused a divorce scandal), who founded the American Bible Society. Some of my ancestors established churches in the colonies that still exist today. 

3. Connecting to significant historical events. In addition to fighting in all the major wars in America (1812, Revolutionary, and Civil), my ancestors fought Indians in Colonial times (in both Virginia and New York), fought Indians during the pioneer days out west and as first settlers in the Dakota Territory, survived the Grasshopper Plague of 1874, befriended General Custer before the Last Stand, knew the Marquis de Lafayette personally, and assisted a famous paleontologist to dig up the first dinosaur bones discovered in America. My ancestors established towns like Hartford, CT, and governed colonies in New England. My closest Confederate Army veteran, George Powell, was taken POW three days before the end of the Civil War at Farmville where 100 years later I went to college. 

4. Solving old family mysteries tops the list of thrilling moments. I have written about these extensively in this blog. A recap:

The biggest mystery concerned my grandmother who grew up in an orphanage in Texas and knew almost nothing about her family. All she knew about her parents were their names (which turned out to be inaccurate) and faces - she had two small photos of them which she carried with her all her life. 

There were several big AHA! moments in the process of finding my grandmother's family:

• Mom remembering that her mother had changed her name! As a teen in the orphanage, she changed her first name from Ethelyn to Teresa. I had puzzled over this discrepancy for months.
• finding her father's business address on Douglas Avenue on a map of Wichita - explaining why my grandmother had incorrectly remembered her father's middle name as Douglas. It was actually Dozier. 
• finding her mother's gravestone on Findagrave, at an asylum cemetery in Woodward Oklahoma.
• digging up many news articles about her father, including a caricature in the newspaper that unquestionably matched the small photos she carried. There was a newspaper paragraph that revealed his fate as an inmate in an asylum. 
• finding a photo of her cousin (whom she never knew existed) who could have been her twin. 
• tracing her grandfather back to his roots in Virginia (full circle!). 
• Discovering a connection to Chemokin, a farm located near our family's beloved farm in Mechanicsville where I spent summers as a child.

The second mystery was concerning "The Rift" between my great grandmother Ida and her twin sister Addie. This was a longstanding source of curiosity in my family - everyone knew there was a rift, but no one knew why. That mystery was solved by the discovery of newspaper articles about their mother's death. A lawsuit was filed by Addie against her mother Margaret, which ultimately led to Margaret's death after she had a stroke on the train coming from Richmond to Norfolk to answer the lawsuit. 

Using a variety of methods

Deciphering handwritten letters and U.S. Census abbreviations, providing context by using maps and historical resources, and zooming in on locations using Google Earth have all been methods of solving mysteries and providing these thrilling moments of discovery. Actually visiting cemeteries, and especially the sites of family homes has added a recent new dimension. Standing on the ground that my ancestors walked centuries before is a profound experience. 

There are still mysteries to be solved.